


Winning Over the Rainbow

by SaltyParis



Category: Yu-Gi-Oh! GX
Genre: Bathing/Washing, Card Games, Fried Shrimp, Kissing, M/M, Nightmares, Post-Canon, Romance, Trauma, spiritshipping
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-08-19
Updated: 2020-09-02
Packaged: 2021-03-06 02:13:55
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 9,720
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25985698
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SaltyParis/pseuds/SaltyParis
Summary: A few years after the end of GX, Judai and Johan are living together as boyfriends, travelling the world. Their passionate love hasn't slowed down at all, and with the pair watching each other's backs, no opponents can stop them! But how will their relationship progress, and who will take the next step? Join them as they make their first stop in Venice, where Johan has matches in the International Pro Duel League!
Relationships: Johan Andersen | Jesse Anderson/Yuuki Juudai | Jaden Yuki
Comments: 6
Kudos: 37





	1. Chapter 1

Upon hearing the door open, Judai immediately popped into Johan’s view, letting out a big grin when he saw him. Johan hardly had time to react as he ran over, wrapped his arms around him, and kissed his lips. ‘Welcome back! Guess what’s for dinner!’ Johan smiled, knowing the answer immediately. Every time he asked that it was always the same thing. Johan was really happy that Judai had learned to cook for them both, but he did wish Judai would improve his range a bit. ‘Hmm...is it a casserole?’ No, of course it isn’t. ‘Nope! Try again!’ Judai grinned. Johan pretended to think his hardest, looking up at the ceiling for a moment to sell it. ‘Is it tempura shrimp?’ He asked. ‘Aww, how’d you know?’ Judai laughed and walked back to the kitchen. Johan dropped his bag on the table, following into the kitchen to make a side dish with some nutritional content.

It had been a few years now since they’d both graduated. Judai had wandered the world by himself for a while, keeping in touch with Johan and his friends via phone, but after much insistence from Johan, Judai eventually decided to move in with him. Johan had become a big part of some international Duel Leagues, so he’d be travelling a lot too, so that way Judai could keep doing his helpful acts and Johan could keep an eye on him. “I know you’ll be fine, but I still worry anyway. You can lean on me, you know? I’ll always protect you. Plus, if anything big happens, we’ll be able to tackle it together! I’ll buy you a lot of shrimp, too.” Johan had sent in a last ditch effort to get Judai to reconsider, and thankfully, he had. When Judai finally arrived on Johan’s doorstep, their embrace felt like it lasted for an eternity.

These days, Johan was a big name international duelist, getting booked for events all around the globe. His skill and the rarity of his deck had made him really popular, especially with kids, who loved Ruby Carbuncle and the cool Dragon. While they traveled, Judai kept his senses keen for any who would be causing trouble, whether it's major threats like the Light of Destruction again, or simple card thieves. Thankfully, nothing major had happened, but he was always happy to help out and protect people. “Oh, if we’re going to be travelling heroes, does that mean we’ll have outfits? Like your HEROES. I want a cool mask and a sword, and a breastplate that looks like my jacket.” Johan laughed. “Well, I hadn’t really had money for anything like that…” Judai looked away shyly, scratching his chin. “I’m only joking, don’t worry.” 

And now, here they were, inseparable. Johan made enough money to support them both travelling, while Judai tried his best to stay out of the spotlight, but when your partner shines that bright and that brilliant, it was hard to not become known. Sometimes they’d get asked to do tag duels, or Johan would get noticed when they helped someone. “Wow, you’re that Johan Andersen! And that must make you Judai Yuki!” For the most part, Judai had kept a low profile, though that didn’t stop Johan reminding him how incredible he was.

Today, they were in Venice, and Johan had just won another incredible League match. Judai wanted to celebrate by cooking a nice dinner for them but with his current limited menu options, he had to decide between making shrimp or an omelette. “Shrimp sounds more celebratory, right?” Judai thought to himself while grabbing the ingredients for the batter. 

Now, they were both in the kitchen, Johan planting a kiss on Judai’s cheek as he started heating up a pan for a side of fried rice with egg and veggies. “You do need to have some healthy things on the side, or you’re gonna make yourself sick.” Johan smiled, shaking his head. “But we’re celebrating your win, it's okay to be unhealthy while celebrating.” Judai’s grin practically covered his whole face, as infectiously happy as always. “You always say we’re celebrating. If you want to cook with me, you could always just ask.” Johan glanced at Judai from the corner of his eye while cracking an egg. Judai was looking away and blushing, and that massive grin had turned into a shy smile. “...That might be it.” His hand fumbled around until it found Johan’s and gripped it tight. “I love you, Johan.” 

“I love you too, Judai. Big hero, saving the world, can’t ask his boyfriend to cook with him. Here, help me chop these up.”

Dinner came out great. Simple, but yum, with lots of nutrients in the rice. Really, with how much love Judai put into cooking those shrimp, they always came out good. Johan dished up some rice, put some shrimp on top, and brought the two places over to the table, where Judai was waiting after washing up. “Itadakima~su!” Judai clapped his hands together and got ready to dig in, but noticed Johan sitting there, head in his hand, just staring at Judai with a smile. “Everything okay?” Judai asked. Johan sat back up, a bit startled. “Oh, yeah, everything’s good! I just...got lost in how beautiful you are when you’re happy. And you’re always happiest when there’s shrimp.” Johan repositioned himself and got ready to eat. “Come on, you know that’s not true, I’m always happiest when you’re here!” Judai grinned again and Johan felt himself go loose. ‘Oh, that smile could light up a room.’ Johan thought to himself before starting to eat too. 

“So, congrats on another big win!” Judai said in between chews. “You don’t have to talk it up, it wasn’t a big win or anything.” At Johan’s response, Judai just shook his head. “You’re one of the top ranked duelists in the world, and you just keep winning! They say even Kaiba’s got his eye out for you! You don’t have to be humble here, let me talk you up. It’s my job to talk you up.” Ruby crawled around Johan’s feet and mewed in agreement. “Alright, alright, you two are right, thank you. I’m sure you’d have done just as great though, Judai.” They both smiled. “Once dinner’s done we can clear off this table and find out!” 

“Oh, actually, Judai, I’ve been meaning to ask, could you take a look through my deck with me? There’s some changes I’ve been thinking of making and-” Just then, the atmosphere in the room grew cold, the tension frozen in the air. Judai’s eyes, now glowing gold and green, were glancing off to the side. “What is it?” Johan asked, suddenly stern. “Trouble. Nearby. Could be bad.” Judai replied, straight to the point, getting up and grabbing his disc and bag. “Mm. I can feel it too, but not as strong as you.” Johan followed, quickly wiping off his hands. “Hey, you’ve had a big day already, you don’t need to come, rest.” Johan just smiled at Judai. “Like I said, it wasn’t a big day. And besides, it might be bad? I’m gonna come keep you safe.” Johan finished slipping on his shoes, and Judai cupped his cheek and kissed him. “Alright, but only if I get to keep you safe too.” 

They ran down the streets along the canals, Johan following Judai’s lead, until they came to the scene. Two injured duelists knocked down, and standing over them, two Rare Hunters. “Huh, just a couple of scum Rare Hunters. Guess we brought out the big guns for nothing.” Johan sighed, stepping forward to take the lead with a slight swagger. The Rare Hunters used to be a major threat, but ever since their original leader vanished, they’ve become nothing but straggling thieves in a power vacuum. “‘Just a couple’? Ha, we’re two of the top Rare Hunters! Do you two want to part with your cards as well?” The first Rare Hunter’s expression changed immediately from cocky to terrified as he looked at Judai, his glowing eyes piercing through. “H-hey, wait a minute. You’re...you’re Johan Andersen, right? And that makes you...Yuuki Judai!” The second Rare Hunter stepped back, arm shaking. “What’s the matter? Afraid now that you’re going to pay for your theft?” Judai activated his duel disk, Johan quickly following suit, leaving the two Rare Hunters shaking as they began to draw their opening hand.

**************************************************

“Go! Flare Neos! Burn To Ash!” “Rainbow Dragon! Over The Rainbow!” The two great duelists made quick work of the thieves, a perfect performance by the pair. “Give back the cards you took. All of them. And I never want to see you again. Understood?” Judai ordered, the glow on his eyes returning. Just the aura he surrounded himself with when he was stopping incidents like these must be terrifying for the people who chose the wrong side, but for Johan, it was awe inspiring. He’d been able to watch Judai bring so much good to the world in their travels, leaping at the chance to help people, without even the slightest concern for himself. Too little concern for himself, though, which always brought a stutter to Johan’s heart if Judai was late coming home one day, or mentioned he’d be doing something without thinking to give a location for Johan to come too. Judai could handle himself, Johan knew that, but he’d seen what all that selflessness could do before. ‘He probably thinks the same of me’, Johan thought to himself. But getting to fight alongside him was always incredible. ‘Judai, my boyfriend. Judai, the duelist. Judai, my hero.’ 

The Rare Hunters dropped the box of cards they’d taken and immediately sprinted off, panting as they went. Judai grabbed the box and took it over to the men, now back on their feet. “Thank you so much, is there anything we can do to pay you back?” One asked. “Don’t mention it, it was nothing, really.” Judai replied with a smile, to which the man nodded and began to leave. “Thank you, Johan. I don’t know if I could’ve done that alone.” Judai said, walking back over to his partner. “Well, I’m glad I was here just in case, but you definitely had that one, no problem.” Johan smiled back. “Maybe neither of us is the best at taking compliments.” Judai laughed, Johan quickly joining in. “Hey, I worked up a bit of a sweat on the run here, do you wanna head back to the hotel and, yknow, share a shower with me?” Judai asked, shyly avoiding eye contact. ‘So much easier to be confident in a duel, I suppose.’ Johan thought, before replying, “Of course, I’d love to.” He put his arm around Judai, gripping his hand tightly, as they made their slow, scenic walk back to where they were staying.

“I’m sorry it’s just a shower we’re sharing, though. I know how much you miss Japanese style bathing together, I tried to find somewhere with a big bath or a hot tub or-” Johan started rambling a bit before Judai rested his head against him. “Hey, it’s okay, shower together is plenty. If we get some spare time, maybe we could go visit some hot springs before we leave Italy.” “That’d be nice, hopefully there’s some time for sightseeing before I get booked somewhere else. Would also be nice if we didn’t have to deal with any more thieves, too.” 

The canals were beautiful at night, the dark water reflecting the stars and the moon and the lights shining on the street, but for Judai and Johan, it was just a backdrop. “It’s nice when you get booked in such a romantic place.” Judai said, rubbing his head gently against Johan. “It really is, but when did you start liking the romance so much? Not long ago you’d have been happier just staying in the hotel room and dueling me all night long.” Johan teased. “Well, I still love that too,” Judai laughed, “But I guess getting to see so much of the world with you has made me appreciate it more.”

“I’m glad to hear that, me too. Both appreciating the sights and the dueling because I’ve still got a lot left in me, so I’d love to go all night again!” Johan could feel Judai squeeze down on his hand as he spoke. After all, even now, even in such a stunning location, that was all Judai needed to have a good time: a duel with Johan. And really, that was all Johan wanted too. Just the two of them, letting their spirits fly. “Oh, you’re on! How about winner gets to be little spoon?” Judai said, looking up at Johan with that incredible smile again.

Back at the apartment, Johan quickly gathered up the plates they’d left on the table while Judai got the dishwasher ready. “Oh, look at this,” Judai said, grabbing the bottle of dishwashing liquid and holding it up to Johan, “It says ‘Crystal Clean’.” Judai snickered, and Johan let out a laugh while rolling his eyes. “Are you going to make that joke every time? They all say crystal clean.” Judai nodded enthusiastically. “Absolutely. Every time.” Once the plates were set aside, the pair made their way to the bathroom.

Judai always loved watching Johan get undressed. His loose tops really managed to hide how toned he was underneath. The way water flowed over his body was something great, too, how it ran over his firm chest and arms. Johan liked to get in the shower when the water was still heating up, which Judai thought was crazy, but hey, whatever makes him happy. ‘The water feels hotter if you were cold before’ Johan had said. Yeah, but you gotta be cold then. Why not just not be cold? Sometimes, watching Johan in the shower like that, all wet and glistening, made Judai want to just grab his body close and-

“Hey. Earth to Judai. Are you getting in or just standing there?” Judai quickly snapped back to reality, and hopped in, the hot water feeling great but still a bit embarrassed at how long he was just staring at Johan. “What had you zoning out?” Johan asked, pulling up close to Judai, letting the water flow over them both. “Just you.” Judai replied, putting his hand on Johan’s smooth, but firm chest. Johan stretched his arms out, resting them on Judai’s shoulders, “Did it have something to do with these?” Johan had such a smug smile on his face that Judai couldn’t help leaning in and kissing him. “A bit, yeah.” 

“Staring into your eyes has me zoning out now, too.” The pair of them stood still in each other’s embrace, silent but the running water, for what Judai wished was an eternity, before Johan shook himself back. 

“Oh! What I meant to ask you earlier. I’ve got another duel tomorrow, so I was hoping, when we duel tonight, we could take a moment between each game to look through mine and adjust, is that okay?” Johan asked, and Judai immediately nodded. “Course! If it’s testing for the league, do you want me to play my deck? We could try and make something closer to your opponent’s deck if you’d prefer.” 

“Well...if you’d be fine with it, and it’s not too much trouble, that’d be a big help. Thank you, Judai,” Johan smiled, “My hero.” Judai’s blush was mostly hidden by the heat in the steamy shower, but Johan could sense it anyway. Judai always turned to goo at that word from Johan, and ever since discovering this, Johan had wielded it with great precision. “Come on...I’m just helping you test, you’re the one out there winning.”

“We both know you’d be winning too, don’t try that. Besides, all the Crystal Beasts agree, only you can properly help me test this deck.”

“Well...if all of you agree on it…”

“Mhm! You about ready to hop out?” Johan asked, and Judai slumped into his embrace. “Maybe hold me just a bit more.” Johan moved his arms to hold Judai closer and to support his weight a bit better. Judai closed his eyes and rested his head on Johan’s chest, and Johan started to gently rub his back. “You did good today.” Johan said softly, and Judai nuzzled his chest. “Alright, I’m fully recharged now!” Judai yelled, popping back up, “Let’s go play.” 

“Okay, okay, silly.”

After a quick dry, Johan changed into some boxers and Judai into a fluffy Winged Kuriboh patterned pajama bottoms. Johan had seen the pajamas in a department store and immediately knew he had to get them for Judai. He’d felt silly wearing them at first, patterned pajamas at his age, but Johan told him it was cute and they did end up being really comfortable, so he wore them from time to time. They got their cards out, and began setting up a deck for Judai to play. Johan’s next opponent was playing Infernoble Knights, a deck focused on Fire Warriors and equipment, so Johan felt he might need something more to help his Crystal Beasts against that.

A few quick games, and a lot of ‘Hm, is there a reason you didn’t play this instead?’ ‘Ah, I was worried about you doing that.’, later, Johan was lying on the couch, head on Judai’s lap, looking through his deck. “Hmm, do you think maybe I should run another Crystal Abundance?” Johan asked, frowning while looking at his ratio of monsters to spells. “That could maybe work, what would you replace?” 

“Maybe Crystal Beacon?”

“I don’t know about that, Crystal Beacon did a lot for you. I think your deck might be best as is. Oh, unless…”

“Unless?” Johan asked, his curiosity peaked. “Did you wanna take Neos?” Judai smiled. “Eh? Neos? Won’t you need him tomorrow?” Johan asked, immediately surprised, sitting up in Judai’s lap. “Nah, tomorrow I need to rest, pushed my powers too far today.” 

“Would Neos really be okay with that?”

“Course! All my Heroes care about you.”

“Hmm...Rainbow Neos would be really strong...but I don’t know if I have time to tune my deck for it. Maybe another time.” Johan smiled, turning his head to where Judai’s deckbox, “Thank you, Neos!” The deckbox glowed in response to Johan, and Johan grinned. “And thank you, my hero,” Johan said, turning back to Judai, placing a lot of emphasis on the ‘my’ and giving Judai a kiss on the cheek. Judai smiled for a moment but interrupted himself with a yawn and stretched. 

“Might be time for bed, I think.” Johan said, getting up off Judai’s lap and smiling at the cute yawn. “Aww, but I wanna duel with you more…” Judai replied, falling sideways onto the couch and looking up at Johan. “Didn’t you say you need to rest? Come on, sleep is good.” Johan held out a hand to Judai to help him up but Judai just said “One more?”. Johan leaned down, put his hands underneath Judai, and lifted him up into the air, making his way to the bedroom. “You can just ask if you want me to carry you to bed, too.” Johan smiled as Judai wrapped his arms around Johan. “This time I really wanted to play one more.” Judai grinned. Johan just shook his head. “Silly.” 

Once he got to the side of the bed, Johan leaned down and gently lowered Judai into it. “Alright, winner got to be little spoon, right? So that’s me today.” Johan happily said, hopping into the other side of the bed. “Hey, I said that before I knew you wanted me to test. Not a fair bet. But I’ll let you, anyway.” Judai said, sliding over to Johan and wrapped his arms around his firm body. “Good night, Judai.” Johan said, already feeling safe and cozy in Judai’s embrace. “Good...night, Jo-” Judai passed out before even finishing the sentence, and Johan smiled and closed his eyes. ‘Always pushing himself so hard. But I guess he wouldn’t be the man I love without being such a selfless person.’ Johan thought, as he slowly drifted off to sleep.

Dark. Nothing but dark. Screams, too. From where? Can’t see anything. Sounds like the Crystal Beasts. Sounds like Judai. Can’t move. Gotta save my family. Gotta save Judai. I can’t lose them. I can’t lose him. Please, Yubel, stop. Let him go, please. Can’t move. Judai’s screaming. Is Judai losing? I can’t move. I can’t breathe. Please, let me out, I need to save him. Please, Yubel, I’m sorry. I’m so sorry. I can’t move. I can’t hear Judai. I need to get out. I can’t move. I can’t do anything. I-

Johan sprang back to consciousness. Another nightmare. ‘Had been a while since the last one,’ he thought, ‘so I guess that’s progress.’ It had taken Johan a while to adjust to Yubel being a part of Judai. He knew Judai had forgiven them, and that it wasn’t all Yubel’s fault, but that time spent locked inside Rainbow Dark Dragon, watching his family be abused by Yubel, watching Yubel torture Judai...It was burned into his memory. Seeing Judai’s glowing heterochromia for the first time was painful, and though Yubel mostly keeps to themselves, when they are around, Johan had felt on edge, like he had to be ready to defend himself or Judai at any moment. 

One night, stuck in bed, Judai fast asleep and clinging to an unable to sleep Johan, he’d decided to get his answers. “Yubel, are you there?” He asked to the dark empty room. “Hm? You’re calling to me?” Yubel’s feminine voice replied, as they slowly came into form at the edge of the bed, sitting next to Judai. “Do you...do you still have a problem with me? Do I have to defend myself around you?” Johan had asked, a slight quiver in his voice. He didn’t fear Yubel, he never had, he always had absolute faith that he and Judai could defeat them. What he feared now was hurting Judai. “No. You have nothing to worry about with me. I am Judai’s protector, and we are now one. I see all his thoughts and emotions. You’re in a lot of them.” Yubel smiled back. “He loves you. If the one I must protect loves you, I will protect you, too. Anything happening to you would hurt him far too much.” Johan was stunned, but once the shock of hearing it wore off, a wave of relief went over him. “I...thank you, Yubel. That helps a lot to hear. I’ll do my best to protect him, too, don’t worry.” Yubel let out a chuckle. “That, I was never in doubt of. He thinks the same of you, and you two are so similar...was that all? You should get some rest.” Johan nodded. “Yeah. Thank you. I can rest easy now.”

The nightmares hadn’t stopped, though. He could forgive Yubel, and know that the future will be fine, but those memories, that trauma was still there. Unable to help those who had helped him so much. But it was slowly getting better, the nightmares were becoming less frequent, more faint. Judai was here. He’d always be here to protect Johan, and Johan would always be here to protect him. 

“Hey, Johan. Are you okay?” Judai asked, piercing the dark and bringing Johan back to the present. He always seemed to have a sixth sense about Johan having a nightmare, something that pulled him out of his sleep to come help. Johan always tried to be quiet, it was just a nightmare, after all, no real danger. Better to let Judai sleep, he’d thought, I’ll be fine. But Judai always woke up, no matter how quiet he was. He’d asked Yubel once, if it was them waking Judai up, but they didn’t know what he was talking about. ‘Just his instinct, I suppose’. 

“Johan? Did you have a nightmare?” He asked again. “...Yeah. I’m okay now, though.” Johan slowly replied. “I’m here, okay? I’m right here with you. Everyone’s safe. I’ll make sure of it.” Judai tightened his embrace, and Johan could really appreciate feeling his warmth. A few tears started to fall down Johan’s cheeks. “I love you, Judai. I love you so much.” 

“I love you too, Johan. I’m right here. Cry as much as you need to, I won’t go anywhere.” 

“Thank you. You should go back to sleep, though. You need the rest. I’ll be fine, was just a nightmare.”

“You can lean on me too, Johan, it’s not a one way thing. We support each other, remember?”

“I know, but it’s just a-”

“Shh, it’s okay. Don’t worry. I’ll stay up until I’m sure you’re safe and sound asleep. Let me know if you need any water or anything, I’ll get up and grab it for you.” Judai’s voice was so reassuring and calming, grounding. “Thank you, Judai. I love you.”

“I love you too. Sleep well.”

Seeing Judai’s glowing heterochromia for the first time was painful. It brought back a lot of horrible memories. But they no longer looked like Yubel’s eyes. Now they were just Judai’s.


	2. Chapter 2

Johan awoke to find himself still in Judai’s protective embrace, the sun shining in and Winged Kuriboh and Ruby fast asleep on the blankets. His check in wasn’t until early this afternoon, so thankfully he had time to enjoy this moment. Gently running his hand over Judai’s, feeling his warmth and his presence and his love, taking time to remember how lucky he was they’d met, even with everything else that happened. He looked up at the night stand to grab his phone and noticed Judai had even got him a glass of water. With a little gentle wriggling, trying ever so hard not to wake him, he managed to get loose of Judai’s grasp. He took a sip, whispered ‘Thank you’ to the sleeping prince, and started to make his way to the bathroom to get ready for the day.

“Hey...Johan...did you...sleep well?” He heard, from a very barely awake Judai, eyes still closed and every word muttered. “I did, thanks to you.” Johan replied, watching his boyfriend roll over a few times into the newly open bed space, forming a mess of sheets and blankets in the process and smiled. “That’s...good...I’ll be up...in a…” Judai barely managed to get out before returning to his dream. ‘He’ll probably be out for a while, but he definitely deserves to sleep in today,’ Johan smiled to himself.

His brief shower and breakfast was spent thinking about strategies for the upcoming match, running through more possibilities in his head. He’d done well in the practice duels but his opponent had a strong record, so he really didn’t want to underestimate them. Plus, a lot of children loved watching Johan (and the ever-cute Ruby) duel, and he loved seeing their smiling faces after. It was one of his favourite parts of being a pro duelist, making the kids happy. Getting to face so many strong opponents was great, too. Part of him worried that, if it wasn’t for the traveling part of his job, maybe Judai would’ve never come back…

Breakfast today was going to be just toast with some sliced tomato and cheese, with some coffee, quick to make, but he wanted to make something nicer to thank Judai too. He ended up settling on fried eggs and bacon from what was left in the fridge, trying his best to get everything how Judai liked it, particularly the crispy bacon. He really wanted to spoil Judai with something nice like lingonberry jam, but it wasn’t easy to find outside his home in Sweden. He set it all neatly on a plate, spread some garlic as a final touch, and grabbed a tray so Judai could eat in bed.

Carrying it into the bedroom, though, Johan ran into a problem. Sprawled out all over the bed was Judai, with Ruby snuggled up near his face and Winged Kuriboh under his arm. ‘Do I have to be the one to wake up this pile of cute?’ Johan thought, glancing at the clock, ‘Maybe if I wait a bit Judai will wake up?’ Johan had to wake him up at some point, since Judai would be upset if he woke up to find Johan gone, but it was hard to find the motivation to spoil such a picture perfect scene. Finally, he took a deep breath, steeled himself and said ‘Rise and shine, sunshines!’ in his cheeriest voice possible.

“Can I get 5 more minutes?” Judai muttered, pulling Ruby into a cuddle as well. “Sorry, I made you breakfast, don’t let it get cold.” Johan sat down the side of the bed, tray over his lap until Judai was up, hoping the smell of food would get him up and ready. Sure enough, “Oh, there’s food?” and Judai was sliding up the bed, eyes wide open. Johan placed the tray over Judai’s lap, gently held Judai’s cheek and turned him to face Johan, and kissed his lips, softly but lingering, savoring the feeling of their touch. “Good morning, sunshine. Did you sleep well?” Judai nodded. “Once I was sure you were asleep, yeah. Did you?” Judai worked his hand across the bed over to Johan’s, and held it tight. “I did, yes, thank you. You asked me that earlier, but I guess you were still asleep.”  
“Oh, haha, whoops. Well, itadakimasu!” Judai immediately began to chow down, and Johan could only watch as the food he’d prepared quickly began to vanish.

“So, my match today is at 6, but I’ll have to leave soon for check-in so they can get all the preparations done. If you’re going to be resting today, did you want to come watch?” Johan asked, and Judai vigorously nodded while continuing to eat. “Okay, I’ll tell security to expect you, come through the pro entrance. There’s a card shop near the arena, so if you wanted something to do, you could hang out and play some games there for a bit, or just nap here if you want, whatever makes you happy. Sound good?” Judai nodded again, and quickly swallowed the egg in his mouth to reply. “Card shop sounds fun, might buy some boosters too.” Johan ruffled Judai’s bed hair. “Great! So I’ll see you after my match?”  
“Mhm! Can’t wait to see it, I’m sure you’ll do amazing!”

“It’ll be fun either way, my opponent seems strong. Don’t forget to eat your tomato too.” Judai looked surprised for a moment, then back down at his plate, and sure enough, all that was left was a bit of toast and the sliced tomato. He decided to finish it all off with one big mouthful. “There you go, good boy.” Johan said, giving Judai’s head a pat, watching him immediately freeze with embarrassment, “Okay, I’ve gotta head out, I’ll see you after! Bye, I love you!” Judai gave Johan’s hand one last squeeze as Johan kissed his cheek and made for the door, with Ruby giving Judai a little mew before running out after him. “Love you too! Oh, do you need me to grab anything for dinner?” Judai asked, moving the tray to the night stand. “Don’t worry, I’ve got us a booking at a nice restaurant for tonight.” Johan smiled and Judai perked up. “Ooh, can’t wait to see!” Johan blew Judai a kiss, and then was out the door. Judai was still a little tired, so he decided to lay back down with Winged Kuriboh and nap for a little bit more before getting ready to head out.

Not long into his nap, he was woken up by his phone ringing. “Nn, hope nothing’s wrong with Johan…” He muttered, shaking off the sleep and grabbing it. ‘Private number? Weird’ He thought, and answered it. “Hello?” He said, still a bit dazed. “Hello! This is Duel Academy calling,” a light, personable female voice replied, “Am I speaking with a Mr. Judai Andersen?”  
“Judai...Andersen?” Judai said, half replying in confusion and half to just hear it again. “Oh, I’m terribly sorry, I misread your name with the next one on the list. Is this Yuki Judai?”  
“Oh, uh...yeah, that’s me.” Judai replied, mind wandering. “Hello! Apologies again. I’m calling on behalf of Duel Academy and the new Marufuji League to extend an invitation for a formal event held at Duel Academy this weekend! The event will be fully catered, followed by an exhibition match to celebrate the opening of the Marufuji League! Would you like to RSVP?”  
“I...Um, I’d have to check with Johan, but I think we should be free. For Sho we’d make time.”  
“Great! We’ll write you down and email you all the details then! Will be great to have you!”

Judai put the phone down and spread out over the bed. Judai Andersen...that had a really nice feeling to it. Shou’s league starting off was great, too, but how come Sho didn’t call personally? Judai grabbed his phone back. “hey grats on the league!! how come u didn’t call urself?” Judai quickly texted to Shou. “ (〃￣ω￣〃)ゞ im bad at phone calls. but yeah! will u and johan be there?” Shou’s reply buzzed through a few moments later. “wwww yeah we should be! will be good to see u again too.” Judai smiled and laughed, ‘Sho is still Sho, I guess, even if he’s a bit more confident.’  
“oh and exhibition? what cool duelists you get?” Judai sent, excited to see what pros they could have lined up. It was a bit less exciting meeting pro duelists now that Johan was at such a high level, but still pretty cool. “well uh. we had some options in mind but. kinda hoping you and johan could? vs edo and ryo ｍ（＿ ＿；；ｍ”  
“us??? coulda told me sooner ww. is ryo okay to duel?”  
“yeah! he’s gotten better with edo taking care of him. still in wheelchair but he’s a lot better.”  
“oh good! thats great! do u want me to ask johan or are ya gonna call him?”  
“he’ll get a call about the event but if you could ask him plss 人´∀｀)”  
“ok will do!! see you soon!!”

Judai fell back down onto the pillow, filled with a wave of emotions! Sho and Ryo’s league! Big event! Tag duel with Johan! And...Judai Andersen. He’d never really thought about it before, but if their relationship did get to that point, he could be Judai Andersen. They’d been together for a while now, and Judai never wanted to go back to the days without him, so maybe that was something that could happen. He smiled up at the ceiling and got up to head to the shower.

He very quickly lost track of time in the shower, standing in the hot water and staring at the wall, his mind quickly running with thoughts from the implications of it. Would Judai be the one to ask? How and when and where? How would Johan react? What if he didn’t react well? They hadn’t really talked about marriage before, maybe Johan wasn’t interested... “Anything you’d like to talk about?” Yubel interrupted his doubts, grounding his wandering mind back in the shower. “Yubel, you know what I’m thinking about.” Judai replied, trying to be stern to cover his worry, knowing it was pointless from Yubel. “I do, but I asked if you wanted to talk, not think. It could help, putting words to it.”

“Right, sorry,” Judai said, taking a deep breath. Yubel was right, as they tended to be, as Judai’s wise guardian. “It just got me thinking, maybe it’s time, but it’s not for me alone to decide, and if I ask and he doesn’t want to, would that hurt our relationship? It’d be amazing if he said yes, but if he said no...I don’t know, is it worth it?” Judai sighed, thinking back to when he’d breeze through every decision, not a single thought to the consequences. “It won’t help you to live in fear of what he could say, Judai. If this is something you want, you should bring it up.” Yubel gently rubbed Judai’s back, and though their hand couldn’t touch Judai, he felt it all the same. “I do. I wanna be with him forever. I love him, and he’s my best friend, and- he’s just perfect for me. We work so well together, and he always looks out for me.” Judai smiled, happy memories and warm feelings flowing through him as he thought about Johan. “Well, I certainly do appreciate the help there,” Yubel replied, chuckling, “He loves you too, Judai. Don’t forget that.” Judai nodded, and took a deep breath. “Thank you, Yubel. Thank you for everything.” Yubel just smiled. “Always.”

There was a bright flash of light, and suddenly, Neos was standing there too, hands on his hip. “Judai. If you ever need relationship advice, you can always ask me, too. As a proud warrior of the sun, I think you should follow your convictions!” He said, boisterously, and gave a grand thumbs up. “T-thank you, Neos, but I’m in the shower…” Judai said, giving an awkward smile. “Right. If you need my help, just call!” Neos said, still just as high-spirited, and disappeared in another flash. Judai and Yubel just stood, silent for a moment, staring at the spot where the hero once was.

Out of the shower, Judai changed into a simple outfit, just some jeans, a plain black shirt and brown jacket, and started to pack his backpack to head out. He’d kept wearing his Osiris Red uniform for a while after graduation, because he thought the red was a cool look, but Johan had insisted he couldn’t keep wearing a school uniform, so reluctantly he let Johan take him clothes shopping. It had taken a while for Johan to find much that Judai wanted to wear and wouldn’t result in a wardrobe of entirely red, but they eventually found some things.

He was excited to hang out at the card shop, though. No stakes card games with strangers, getting to experience new opponents and their decks without any pressure, just fun, was always nice, and not something Judai always got to have. His plan was to buy some boosters, maybe a structure deck, see what he could build and then play with that, to give the Neo-Spacians some rest and to avoid having people jumping over going ‘wow! You’re -that- Judai? With the Neo Spacian deck?’. It was nicer to just be another duelist sometimes, rather than someone special. Poor Johan didn’t really get that chance, but Judai hoped their plenty of games together, lounging over each other with silly antes, was enough for him.

It was a nice day, the sun was shining, the air was flowing and the scenery on the way was beautiful, a perfect day for a walk. Judai really appreciated that he got a chance to see the world like this with someone he loved. He’d travelled alone mostly to try and keep everyone else out of danger but Johan eventually got through to him and made him realise he was shouldering too much again. His plan was to keep Johan safe from more magical danger, but if Johan ended up worried sick from it, he wasn’t really achieving much by doing it. And Johan was right, together they were unbeatable. And getting to see Johan every single day...he was definitely a lot happier this way, too. ‘You don’t have to always save the day alone, your happiness matters too,’ Johan had said, and it had felt so nice once he was willing to believe it.

After a nice walk, he arrived at the card shop. It was huge, part cards and part pro merchandising, to tie in with events nearby, so Judai figured he’d take a look around at that first, before grabbing some boosters. It was always fun to embarrass Johan by showing him some new Johan and Crystal Beasts merch he’d bought. Currently back at the apartment was a Johan and Rainbow Dragon shirt, a Ruby Carbuncle plush, and a Crystal Beasts backpack, and on him was his ever-faithful Johan and Ruby playmat. ‘Stooooop, you don’t need to keep buying all this.’ Johan had given Judai a playful little shove as Judai showed him the mat. ‘But I want to see your handsome face every time.’

This time, something immediately caught his eye: a set of absolutely adorable Ruby Carbuncle pajamas. “Oh, Johan is going to love these.” Judai muttered to himself, quickly flicking through to find Johan’s size and heading up to the counter with it. “Hey, just these, thank you.” Judai said to the lady working there. “Are you a big Johan fan?” she asked, scanning the item through. “Oh, the biggest Johan fan there is.” Judai replied, an enormous smile covering his face. “There you go, have a great day!” The lady handed over a bag with the pajamas neatly folded up, and with a quick ‘thank you!’, Judai was off to play some games. As she watched him go, the lady thought to herself, ‘Hm, was that...wait a minute, was that Yuki Judai?’

Over at the card side of the shop, Judai bought a handful of boosters, and sat down at a table to flick through what he’d opened, hoping he could build something fun. There was a decent amount of cards for Odd-Eyes, so he bought a structure deck quickly and built the best he could. “Alright Odd-Eyes Dragon, I’m counting on you!” Judai said, holding the card, and he could hear the dragon’s spirit roar in reply. He walked over to another table, where a couple of guys were sitting, chatting, with their decks sitting on the table. “Hey, would you mind playing a couple of games? I just built a new deck and wanna see how it goes.” Judai asked, and both men nodded, ‘Oh, yeah, sure!’, one scooching over to make room for Judai to sit.

A handful of games later, Judai winning most, still losing a few with his new deck, but all of them fun, one of the men leaned back and let out a big sigh. “Damn, you’re good. You really just built that deck?” Judai laughed. “Yeah, I guess I just feel a connection to it.” He glanced sideways at the spirit of Odd-Eyes Dragon, who roared in approval, and at Yubel sitting on a table behind it, rolling their bichromatic eyes at Judai’s thoughts. “Well, we gotta head off in a moment, but before we go, can I get a game in on your real deck?” The other man asked, leaning in. “Ah, I don’t know…” Judai said, side-eyeing, noticing Neos now standing next to Odd-Eyes Dragon. “Come ooooon! At least a name? You’ve gotta be someone famous to be smashing us that badly with a new deck!” Judai laughed. “Famous, huh? I guess...Alright, alright,” He reached into his backpack and pulled out his deck, “My name’s Yuki Judai, and this is my HEROes deck.” He said, accompanied by a playful grin. “Woah! You’re THAT Yuki Judai? The one that’s beaten Edo and Johan before, right?! No wonder! Let’s see how I go against this deck!”

Just two turns later, the man was staring down a massive Flare Neos, ready to finish him off. “Incredible...a 5000 attack monster, so fast...what a terrifying deck and duelist...You want a shot before we go?” He asked, turning to his friend, while Yubel tapped Judai on the shoulder and pointed at the TV on the wall behind them. “Up next, we’ll have our analyst team discuss the match you just witnessed, and then after that, it's time for the main event: Johan Andersen vs Shoma!” Judai’s eyes opened wide as he checked his phone for the time. “Ah, I’m sorry guys, I’ve gotta run, or I’m gonna be late now, lost track of time, thank you for the games!” He quickly packed everything into his bag, saying one more ‘thank you’ to Odd-Eyes, and left the store in a mad dash for the arena.

He arrived at the back entrance in a pant, two security guards blocking the way. “Hey...I’m Yuki Judai...Johan should’ve mentioned I’d be coming.” He said, in between breaths. One of the guards quickly checked his list, and then nodded. “Yep, you’re expected. Go straight down there, take the first left, and go past the makeup rooms and you should see the player entrances to the arena. Don’t step out into the area, but you can stand wherever you want otherwise.”  
“Thank you!” Judai replied, running past, hoping he wouldn’t miss anything.

He made it right as the duel was about to start, Johan’s introduction complete, with him waving to the crowd. Johan turned to glance back at the tunnel, hoping to see Judai there, and Judai replied with a wave and a smile. Johan sighed with relief, and smiled with such warmth that Judai could feel from all the way over there. He was always such a star, dueling with such passion, and so much respect for his opponents, and so much love for his deck. Judai fell for him during their first duel, and it was no wonder so many were such big fans of his too.

From where Judai was standing, he could see some of the first row, and catching his eye was two young kids with their dad, a brother and a sister, cuddling a Rainbow Dragon plush and a Ruby Carbuncle plush. ‘Wow, there’s a Rainbow Dragon?’ Judai thought to himself, ‘That one’s pretty cool, I gotta find one.’ Judai kept an eye on the kids' reactions throughout the match, the girl hiding her face behind Ruby whenever something bad was happening to Johan, the boy yelling loudly as Topaz Tiger attacked, both of them cheering, and Johan shining the whole time. His opponent declared a big attack, and Judai just smiled, knowing it was time for Johan to work his crystal magic.

“I activate my trap! Rainbow Gravity! Since all seven Crystal Beasts are on my field or in my graveyard, I can Special Summon Rainbow Dragon from my deck and force your monster to attack it!” Johan yelled, before turning the crowd, “Are you ready everyone? Behold the miracle of the Crystal Beasts! Ultimate Crystal God - Rainbow Dragon!” A rainbow shined from his deck, and the Crystal Beasts still on the field began to glow, as a silhouette of Johan’s mighty ace formed in the arena. Every time Judai saw it, it reminded him of how awestruck he felt seeing it for the first time, Johan willing to stare down even the Phantasms, standing there undeterred, like the proud, brave hero he is.

The enemy’s monster crashed straight into Rainbow Dragon, dealing significant battle damage to him, and all he could do was play a facedown and end his turn. “Looking at your face, I bet that facedown’s a bluff, right?” Johan said, leaning in with his duel disc and grinning as the opponent recoiled. “I activate Rainbow Dragon’s effect! By sending the Sapphire Pegasus and Amber Mammoth from my spell and trap zones to the graveyard, I can increase Rainbow Dragon’s attack by 2000! Go, Rainbow Dragon! Over The Rainbow!” Johan’s empowered Rainbow Dragon let out its rainbow breath, destroying the opponent’s remaining monster and the rest of his life points. Johan waved to the cheering crowd, deactivated his duel disc, and ran over to Judai.

“Congrats Johan! Another great win!” Judai said, before Johan kissed him and grabbed his hand. “Thank you! I...kinda thought you’d try to show up before the match started, but this was fine too.”  
“Haha, sorry, I lost track of time duelling at the shop.”  
“Well, that definitely sounds like my Judai. You ready to go eat?”  
“Yup! Are we walking there?”  
“Yeah, it’s pretty close to here. The reviews said all their pasta options were great and they have a nice selection of wine, so I thought that sounded pretty romantic.”  
“It does, but you don’t have to go out of your way to be romantic, Johan. Cooking at home with you is plenty.”  
“Someone has to spoil you, you never will.” Johan smiled, squeezing down on Judai’s hand, as they walked together once more, hand in hand, through the beautiful city. “Hey, I got something to spoil you too!” Judai said, quickly pulling out the Ruby pajamas from his backpack, “Look! Cute, right?” Judai continued, with the biggest grin on his face. “They’re absolutely adorable, thank you. You’re probably half my merch sales.” Johan chuckled, shaking his head.

“Oh, almost forgot. I got a call earlier,” Judai said, “Sho and Kaiser’s league is starting up, they want us to be at the debut event at Duel Academy.”  
“Yeah! I got a call too, said we’d be there for sure, very exciting. How come Sho didn’t just call himself?” Johan replied. “He’s not very good at phone calls and I think he’s a little intimidated by you.” Judai smiled awkwardly, “But they also want us to be their exhibition match, in a tag duel against Edo and Kaiser. Are you okay with that?” Johan immediately grinned in response. “A tag duel with my Judai by my side? How could we say no? I’d love to!” Exactly the excited response Judai was hoping for, probably the only thing he enjoyed as much as duelling Johan was duelling with Johan by his side, and...some other things with Johan. “Great, I’ll send Sho a message. I’m really glad to hear Kaiser’s doing better, apparently Edo’s been taking care of him.” Judai said, bubbling with energy thinking about the upcoming duel. “Aww, that’s sweet. He must be in good hands if he’s healthy enough to duel now” Johan replied.

The restaurant was cozy, nicely lit by candles, with classical Italian music playing and some pretty pastries and other desserts on display by the front. Judai just stood back and let Johan handle the talking, and soon enough they were being led to a nice table at the back, with some nice decorations of traditional boats hanging on the wooden walls. The waiter left some menus with them, both for food and drinks, and let them be. “Wow, this place is really nice,” Judai said, taking a look around the small but warm-feeling restaurant before opening his menu, “and the food sounds exciting too!” Judai skimmed and flicked through both the menus. “Yeah, I checked the place out a bit before booking, tried to find a place with things you’d want to eat. Anything catching your eye?” Johan asked, taking a bit more time reading through his.

“Hmm...the tagliolini,” Judai slowed to sound out the word, “with shrimp and truffles sounds nice...Johan, do I like truffles?” Judai asked, looking up from his menu, causing Johan to grab his chin and think for a moment. “Truffles...I don’t think you’ve had truffles before, do you want to try them? They’re pretty strong flavoured.” Johan looked back down, quickly checking through for options, “We could get the tagliolini and some grilled bass to share, and then if you don’t like the truffles, you can have the fish to yourself?”  
“That sounds good! Are you okay with the tagliolini?” Judai asked, sitting up straight in his chair. “Yeah, it’ll be fun to share some pasta with you.” Johan said, resting his cheek on his hand, smiling straight into Judai’s eyes. “You’ll have to be careful I don’t eat it all.” Judai grinned, getting Johan to leave his romantic stupor and laugh. “Right, right, the only thing you love more than duelling is eating.”  
“And you!”  
“And me.” Johan smiled sweetly again, “Do you want some red wine too? They have some nice sounding bottles.”  
“Sure! Let’s celebrate.”

Johan signalled the waiter back over, and Judai was content to let him handle the ordering too. “Could we get the tagliolini, please, and the sea bass, could we get that grilled, both to share? Oh, and could we also get a bottle of the 2008 Allegrini, please? And some bread and water for the table, thank you.” The waiter nodded, writing down the order. “Will that be all?” Johan handed up their menus. “Yes, for now, thank you.” The waiter took the menus, and then it was back to just the two of them at the candle-lit table.

Judai sighed, enamoured. “I’m so lucky.” He said, voice full of contentment, as he gazed at Johan. “Huh? What brought this on, me ordering food?” Johan laughed, a bit embarrassed at the sudden romance. “Just...you’re so cool. I’ve always thought you were so cool. Ever since we first met on the roof. The way you duel is so amazing. Most people don’t get to date someone as cool as you.”  
“Oh, Judai...Thank you, but shouldn’t I be the one saying that? Most people don’t get to date their hero, someone who’s saved the world multiple times. You’re definitely the coolest.” Johan smiled, trying to hide his blush from Judai’s unexpected love attack. “Hey, I could only save the world because you saved me, those count for you too. You’ve always been my hero, too, Johan.” Judai’s love attack points were too high for Johan, and dealt piercing damage, so he could only keep smiling and blushing as he reached across the table and interlocked his fingers with Judai’s. “I love you, Judai. Please never forget that I feel just as lucky as you.”  
“I love you too.”

Not long later, the waiter was back with their food and drinks, which all looked incredible, both taste and presentation wise. The bass was served with potatoes and a delicious looking sauce draped over it all, and the pasta was neatly served on a plate with a smattering of the cheese sauce encircling it. Judai poured a glass of wine for both himself and Johan, who got some shrimp and truffle on the end of his fork, and wrapped up some of the pasta. “Hey, Judai, say ‘aah’” He said, holding his fork up towards Judai. “Aaaah” Judai opened his mouth and leaned forward, taking a big bite down as Johan fed him. “What do you think?” Johan said, getting another forkful for himself. “It’s good!” Judai said after swallowing, practically beaming, as he picked up his own fork and began to eat.

Exactly as it looked, everything was great. Johan had been a little worried the truffle would be overpowering, but thankfully, it was just right, and either way, the backup bass had been cooked to perfection. Judai had certainly seemed to love it all, but sometimes it seemed like Judai’s minimum level of enjoyment with food was pretty high, so it could be a bit hard to tell when he really liked a dish. He was definitely enjoying the wine, at least. “Aaaah, it's so nice to eat fancy once in a while.” Judai said, lounging back in his seat. “Aren’t you glad I spoil you now?”

The waiter came back over with a beautiful looking dessert, a rainbow coloured pannacotta, served with strawberries coulis and hazelnut biscuits, with an arrangement of lavender flowers on the side for decoration. “This is compliments of the house, special made. Please enjoy.” He said, leaving the plate in the centre of the table. “Wow, this is really pretty.” Judai said, leaning in, “Do you think it’s rainbow for Rainbow Dragon or because we’re gay?” He asked jokingly. “Well, my Rainbow Dragon is seven colours, but this is only six, so who knows.” Johan laughed, wondering if Judai was getting a bit tipsy. “Maybe they only had one shade of blue in their food colouring. We could ask?” Judai said, grabbing a spoonful of the colourful dessert and some biscuit. “Don’t ask, you silly.” Johan playfully slapped the air in front of Judai’s hand, then grabbed some himself.

The pannacotta was delicious as well, just the right amount of smooth and creamy, with a great vanilla flavour complimented by both the strawberry sauce and the nice crunch of the hazelnut biscuits. An excellent way to finish off the meal. It went nicely with the wine, too, which Johan was sure Judai may have enjoyed a bit too much now. Judai wasn’t the best at holding his liquor, especially compared to Johan, who had quite a tolerance. “Alright, Judai, I’m gonna go pay, you just stay sitting here, and I’ll come get you when we’re good to go, okay?”  
“Okay, sounds good,” Judai said, before doing his signature two finger point at Johan, “That was a fun meal.”  
“You are just too adorable.”

Johan paid for the meal, left a big tip for the service and the lovely dessert, and asked to give his compliments to the chef, before coming back, wrapping tipsy Judai’s arm over his shoulder, and heading back for the apartment. “Hey, Johan. My Johan. My Johan Andersen.” Judai said, as they walked down along the canals, and rested his head on Johan’s shoulder. “What is it, cutie?” Johan asked, pulling him in close so he’d stay balanced. “I love you so much. I really do. When we’re back at the apartment, I wanna-” He leaned over to Johan’s ear and whispered some sweet nothings, putting his head back on Johan’s shoulder after. “Okay, we can do all of that if you don’t fall asleep the moment you touch the bed.” Johan laughed. “I won’t, I promise.”

Sure enough, as soon as Judai was on the bed, he was immediately out cold. Johan, smiling the whole time, took Judai’s jacket off him and made sure he was nice and snug under the blankets before sliding under and wrapping Judai up in his arms. “Sweet dreams, my Judai.” He whispered to the sleeping boy in his arms, closing his eyes and drifting off to sleep, his dreams accompanied by loving thoughts of how lucky he was this perfect, silly guy was so eager to let him into his life.


End file.
